Racing Hearts: Rainbow Dash's Story
by Ponyville Ranger
Summary: A new pegasus, a colt, shows up in Ponyville and catches Rainbow's interest. Just what is it about this newcomer that's caught Rainbow's attention so much? Friendship is magic. Who says love isn't as well? RainbowxOC.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with My Little Pony or anything affiliated with it whatsoever.

Author's note: Hi, everypony, and welcome to my first MLP fanfic. This fic centers on Rainbow Dash. Now, for this particular fic, I have created an OC. Now, I fully support RainbowxSoarin'and RainbowxBig Mac, but I have something even bigger planned for my OC in the future. I hope you enjoy it. Please no flames or criticism.

Ponyville Ranger.

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><p>RACING HEARTS: RAINBOW DASH'S STORY<p>

It was a bright, sunny day in Ponyville. The sun was shinning, birds were singing, and one cyan pegasus was zipping across the sky.

Rainbow Dash was flying over Ponyville, attending to her cloud duties, which for her never took long. After kicking another cloud into obscurity, she laughed as she hovered in the air.

"Yes, ha ha! I'm done. And it only took..." She glanced at her watch. "...about five minutes. Wow. Okay. Soo... I'm all done. Now what?" The young, little sky blue pegasus rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. Being the fastest flyer in all Equestria meant she could finish her weather duties as quick as anypony can blink. Since she had some free time... lots of it... she reasoned she could practice some of her aerial tricks.

She thought of which ones she could improve on. She felt that most were pretty awesome as they were, but then she wanted them to be worthy of getting the Wonderbolts attention. Deciding to work on her Triple Loop-the-loop Arial Spin, she prepared to perform the trick. She found an open spot of land just outside of town to practice over. Flying forward, she quickly gained speed, and was just about to make her first loop when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Stopping, she turned to see another pony flying about a quarter mile southeast from where she was.

"Huh?" Curious, Rainbow Dash took off after the other pony, which was obviously a pegasus. As she picked up speed and got closer, she could make out that this pegasus was a colt, judging by his size. Thing was, she didn't recognize this stallion. She knew a lot of folk in Ponyville and in Cloudsdale, but she didn't recall seeing this one at all. This piqued her curiosity even further. A new recruit of the weather team, perhaps? No. Couldn't be. She'd know about it. After all, she was the faster flyer in all Equstria, the winner of the Best Young Flyers competition, and the captain of the Weather Patrol Division over Ponyville.

As Rainbow got closer, she noticed him dropping altitude, seemingly heading down towards the park. Lowering her own altitude, she kept her pace, making sure to stay with him. The other pegasus flew between two trees and Rainbow followed, landing on the ground and looking around for the other pegasus. "Aha! Gotcha now."

But he was gone.

"Wha...?" How? Sure, he did seem kind of quick, but this quick? It wasn't possible. Not unless he was faster than what she could tell from following him. Glancing around, she spotted him standing on a bridge over the stream. Rainbow trotted over to the bridge, ready to meet this new, speedy pegasus. He obviously noticed her reflection in the crystal blue water below and turned to see the smaller cyan pony trotting up to him.

It was then that they got a good, long look at each other.

For a moment, Rainbow Dash was speechless and unable to focus. This stallion, a year or two older than her, was a little on the muscular side. He stood tall, roughly the same height as one of the royal guards, and he was, indeed, a pegasus. He was a darker blue than her, with black and yellow hair, mane and tail. His eyes were red, but a comfortable red, which Rainbow found odd she was even noticed that. His Cutie Mark was a black cloud with a yellow lightning bolt coming out of it. His wings were longer and larger than her own.

"H-Hi!" Rainbow greeted. Why did she suddenly feel so nervous and shy?

"Hi!" the stallion greeted back. And that smile he gave... Why was her legs suddenly starting to feel weak? Must have a bug or something.

"I saw you flying up there. You're pretty quick."

"Thanks."

Rainbow held out her right hoof. "Name's Rainbow Dash."

"Hey, Rainbow. I'm Lightning Strike." He extended his right hoof to shake hers and she could have sworn she felt sparks fly in her brain. _Cool name _Rainbow thought.

"Hey, I think I've heard of you," Lightning Strike said, raising a hoof to his chin in thought.

Rainbow blushed a little but smiled proudly. "Really? You've heard of me?"

Then is suddenly hit him. "Yeah! You won the Best Young Flyer competition! You're the fastest flyer in all of Equestria!"

Rainbow blushed more now, and raised a hoof to her chest as she puffed it out proudly. "Yep, that's me." She cocked her head. "I've never seen you around here before. You new?"

"Yeah," Lightning answered, "I just moved here a few days ago. I was checkin' out the scenery when you musta found me."

"Oh. Well, welcome to Ponyville," Rainbow said with a smile.

"Thanks. It is a beautiful little town," Lightning said.

"Yeah, we're pretty found of it," Rainbow said with a light grin. "Hey! Since you're new here, how 'bout I show ya around?"

"Sure! That'd be great! Thanks!"

"No prob. C'mon, follow me." Rainbow blasted off the ground into the air in a flash, and Lightning was right behind her. He caught up rather easily and the two flew toward town. "So where didja used to live before ya moved here?" the cyan mare asked.

"I used to live in Manehatten," Lightning replied.

"Didja like it there?"

"Not really. I mean, it was okay, but city life isn't for me. Heh. As that old saying goes: 'It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there'."

"Can't say I blame you," Rainbow Dash said. "I like the big, clear skies around here. I'd go nuts if I had to stay in Manehatten for a week." She chuckled.

"Heh, try living there for years," Lightning Strike laughed.

"How did you keep your sanity?" Rainbow asked with a laugh.

"Ya know... I don't really know."

Both pegasi laughed, and Rainbow found Lightning to be quite charming and funny, real easy to get along with.

"In the city, it's all bunched together," Lightning said. "Not a lot of room to fly. And when ya do, it's all stop and go, stop and go."

"Well, we've got lotsa open space around here. Lotsa room to fly..."

"I'm liking it already," Lightning said, and Rainbow felt her cheeks heat up for some odd reason. Yep, she had to have a bug. Probably needed to stop and see the doctor later, or Zecora. At this point, the two had arrived over the town, and Rainbow descended, Lightning following her. Rainbow Dash began her tour of Ponyville, showing Lightning strike every place of interest. Finally, finishing her tour of the town, she pointed a hoof at Sugarcube Corner.

"And this is Sugarcube Corner, where you can get the most awesome cakes, cupcakes and almost any kind of dessert you can imagine. If you have a sweet tooth, this is where ya wanna go."

"Sweets, huh? Awesome! I know where I'm gonna be going often!" Lightning said with a big smile, making Rainbow laugh. "Maybe we can get a piece of cake here sometime," Lightning suggested, looking down at the smaller, slightly younger pegasus, who adverted her gaze for a second as her cheeks flushed pink.

"Y-Yeah. I'd like that."

"Do ya happen to know if any of these places are hiring?"

"Well..." Rainbow lifted a hoof to her chin. "...the weather patrol can always use a new member, but I doubt you'd be interested..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, did you say weather patrol?" Lightning said suddenly.

"Yeah," the young mare nodded. "Why?"

Lightning grinned. "I used to be a weather pony in Manhatten!"

Rainbow gawked in shock. "No way!"

"Way! I was a member for a long time. They used to call me the fastest flyer in Manehatten."

"Really? No way!" Rainbow said surprise, a big smile on her face. "How come I never heard of you?"

Lightning rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I was modest about it. Word got around, but I never admitted to it."

"That's so awesome!" the cyan pegasus exclaimed excitedly. Then Rainbow grinned slyly. "Fastest flyer, huh? How 'bout a race?"

"A race?"

She nodded, grinning. "Yeah! Call it a test to see if ya get the job. See, I'm the team leader of the weather patrol here in Ponyville, so if ya can keep up with me, you get the job." She pointed out in the distance. "There's a Weeping Willow about two miles from here, close to the Everfree Forast. We race to it and back to here. Deal?" She extended her hoof.

Lightning grinned, and shook her hoof. "You've got yourself a deal, little rainbow."

Little rainbow? Strangely enough, Rainbow liked the nickname. ...Or petname she guessed it was, but she actually liked it. As Rainbow tried to hide the small blush to her cheeks, the two pegasi lined up side by side, ready to go.

"On your mark..." Rainbow said.

"Get set..." Lightning added.

"GO!" they shouted and blasted off.

Rainbow had taken the lead at first. Since she was smaller, Rainbow Dash was more agile and she had quicker acceleration. However, looking back, she saw Lightning Strike gaining on her quickly. Although he couldn't accelerate as fast as her, he obviously had the same top speed. He caught up alongside her and winked.

"Ya call this a race, little rainbow?" He sped on ahead, and Rainbow laughed as she smiled slyly.

"Ohh, yeah!" She increased her speed, gaining on him.

Anyone on the ground would have seen a rainbow streak and a yellow and black streak zoom across the sky at blazing speeds. It didn't take long for the duo to reach the tree, zipping around it and heading back towards the finish line. Lightning wasn't as nimble as Rainbow, but he held up really well, as he was back racing alongside her in just a few seconds. Both were laughing as they raced and dodged around clouds, performing random tricks and stunts as they flew. Soon, they saw the finish line just up ahead. They crossed it together, tying.

"Wow! You really _are_ fast!" Rainbow complimented, painting a little. "I've never met anypony with that kind of speed before."

Lightning blushed a bit. "Thanks. But _you're_ the one that's fast. You were like a rainbow bullet!"

Now it was Rainbow's turn to blush. "Wow. Uh... Thanks."

"Hey, how's 'bout another race sometime?" he offered.

"Yeah! That was really fun! Anytime ya wanna race, I'm the pony to call." Rainbow puffed out her chest a bit. Then she flew closer to him and held out her right hood. "Ya passed the test, dude. Welcome to the Weather Patrol."

Lightning shook her smaller hoof. "Awesome! Thanks! So when do I start?"

"How 'bout tomorrow?" Rainbow suggested. "Meet me back here in the morning."

Lightning raised a hoof in salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

Rainbow chuckled. Lightning was funny, and she liked it. She really liked it... "And tomorrow I can introduce ya to my friends," the little pegasus said cheerfully.

"Sounds good." Lightning looked up, seeing the sun was beginning to set. "I better get goin'. It's getting late, and I suppose we have a big day tomorrow."

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah. Don't forget."

"How could I?" Lightning chuckled. He waved at the cyan pony girl as he started flying away. "See ya tomorrow, little rainbow."

"See ya, Lightning," Rainbow said, waving back. She felt somewhat disappointed that he had to go. But... She also felt elated that she'd see him again tomorrow.

That night, Rainbow Dash couldn't get Lightning Strike out of her head. And for her, it just felt odd. But not in a bad way. No. In a good way. To be honest, she'd never really paid much attention to colts before. It wasn't that she wasn't interested, just that none ever caught her attention. Until now, that is.

Something about Lightning just made him stand out from other colts. She couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but he just seemed... different, unique. ...Kind of like her. One thing she knew for sure... tomorrow would be anything but ordinary. And the more she thought about it, the more she began to understand. Lightning was good looking. Okay, really good looking. Okay, scratch that. He was hot. Plain and simple, he was super hot.

Wait, did she really just think that?

Sighing, she finally admitted it to herself. He also had beautiful, intense eyes that she could easily find herself getting lost in. And he was funny, modest, and he was super fast. Rainbow Dash had never really put a lot of thought into the concept of dating, she just always felt that when the time was right, she'd meet a guy.

Flying was a passion for her, and so was the dream of joining the Wonderbolts. While other pegasus ponies flew merely as a means of transportation, it was so much more than that to Rainbow. It was a thrill, a rush, a joy... a passion. She had focused on that so much that, apart from hanging out with her best friends, practicing tricks and stunts and her job as a weather pony, nothing else came into play. Thus she never really thought much of her being with a guy. But the idea made her feel... well... giddy. She wasn't bouncing around the room like Pinkie Pie, but still, she felt a different rush when she thought about Lightning. And this rush felt deeper, and more... intimate.

She recalled the qualities she wanted in a pet: coolness, awesomeness, radicalness, style... And right now, she had seen all that in Lightning. She frowned suddenly. What if she was just jumping ahead of herself? What if it was just her mind and hormones playing tricks on her?

No. She couldn't think that. She couldn't think negatively. But she didn't want to get her hopes up either. She'd learn more about him the next day, and she'd tell him more about herself. She wanted to know more about him. And honestly, she wanted to hang out with him more. Rolling onto her side in her cloud bed, she looked out her window at the clear, moonlit starry night sky. And with one last thought, she drifted off to sleep.

_I hope we can be more than just friends_...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Hasbro or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Author's note: Hey, there, and welcome to the second chapter of this story. I know it's been a while since I first posted the first chapter, but I'm not giving up on my stories or my fans. ;) Also, to all the people that reviewed, favorite a story of mine or me as an author, and to all who added one of my stories to your alert list, thank you all! I can't thank you enough and it means the world to me! ^.^ /) I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Ponyville Ranger.

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><p>RACING HEARTS: RAINBOW DASH'S STORY<p>

Morning soon came to Ponyville, and Rainbow woke up earlier than she normally would. Often times, she'd stay in bed for a couple of hours longer, seeing as how she could accomplish her cloud duties in less than half the time it took the entire weather patrol. That left her more time to practice new aerial stunts and hang out with her friends.

As Rainbow Dash sat up in bed with a groan, she stretched her arms up over her head, then her wings, and then her body. As she relaxed, she glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was still early. Flopping back down and rolling over, she pulled the blankets back up over her head. "Gahh... Still early..." Then she remembered what day it was. It wasn't long before she had to meet up with Lightning. With that thought in mind, her magenta eyes widened.

"Ohmygosh! I'm supposed t' meet Lightning in an hour!" Rainbow jumped out of her bed, quickly made it, then dashed downstairs, zipping past Tank, making him spin around several times, stopping upside down. "'Mornin', Tank! Oops. Heh, Sorry 'bout that." She hovered next to the tortoise and helped him rights side up. "Heh. Sorry, Tank. My bad. I'm just in a hurry this morning. I've gotta meet somepony in an hour and I don't wanna be late."

Rainbow trotted into the kitchen and opened a cabinet, pulling out a bowl and box of cereal. She quickly fed Tank, then quickly ate her own breakfast. As she ate, Rainbow couldn't help but think about the Pegasus she met the day before. Something about him just seemed to pique her interests. She couldn't fully put her hoof on it, but she just felt... different around him. Yeah, he was nice, funny, cool and... cute? She shook her head, realizing what she'd just thought.

And did he think she was too? The Pegasus suddenly froze at the thought. What was up with her this morning? Could it be that... she was falling for him? Rainbow shook her head. First off, she'd only just met the guy the day before, so it's way too soon to be jumping to conclusions and assuming things she didn't know yet.

"He's just a really cool guy..." she told herself. _Yeah, right, you know you think more of him than that._ Rainbow smacked her forehead. Her brain was trying to say otherwise. "Keep yer cool, Rainbow, he's just a cool dude with..." She paused, and thought of the stallion. "...awesome eyes, nice wings, a cute tail- what the heck am I thinkin?!" She face-tabled, and groaned while her face rested flat on it. She felt something nudge her hair and as she lifted her head, saw Tank standing on the table.

He opened his mouth, saying something.

"I'm over thinking this, aren't I?" Rainbow asked.

Tank nodded. He opened his mouth again.

"And I should just remain calm and be myself."

He nodded again.

Rainbow smiled. "Heh. Thanks, big guy." She nuzzled her nose to Tank's, then leaned back in her seat. "If I can storm out of Spitfire's office, then I can keep calm around one guy."

Tank nodded.

After she ate and washed the dishes, she patted her pet's head, then flew off into the blue sky, toward the rendezvous point. In mere seconds, she was there, and hovered as she looked around for the stallion. "Heh, slow poke. Still got a way to go to match me." Suddenly, she heard a zip and turned to see Lighting hovering behind her.

"Hey, there. What was that about matching you?"

Rainbow smiled instantly, feeling herself become happy and excited all of a sudden. But why was her stomach feeling fluttery? "Hey!" Her cockiness returned. "Oh, I was just wonderin' when you'd get here."

"Hope I'm not late."

"No, no. You're right on time."

She knew she really liked the stallion, and hoped that he really liked her back. He'd invaded her thoughts most of the night. Normally, Rainbow had dreams of being a Wonderbolt or of going on some death-defying adventure, but last night, she dreamt of Lightning.

"So what's first on the agenda today, Boss?" Lightning asked.

Rainbow couldn't help but notice how his mane flowed in the breeze. She shook her head briefly to collect her thoughts and focus her attention. "Well, first I'll show ya around Cloudsdale. That's where the Weather Patrol Station is, so ya need to get registered and everything."

"Alright, sounds good. You lead the way."

Rainbow smirked. "What's wrong, can'tcha keep up?" She sped off in a rainbow blur, leaving Lightning behind with a grin. He blasted off and caught up to her easily, as she wasn't going nowhere near her top speed.

"No. Just being courteous to a lady," he said simply, flying next to her.

Rainbow blushed slightly, then grinned. "Thanks, but in case ya haven't noticed, I'm not your average girl."

Lightning smiled. "I know. And that's one of the things I like about ya."

It felt like her heart had just done a Sonic Rainboom in her chest. Rainbow felt like doing a spin from the excitement those words. She blushed and smiled shyly, but tried to keep her composure. Hmm... What were the other things he liked about her? She decided to ask later, as they were approaching Cloudsdale. Focusing her attention ahead, Rainbow pointed to the floating city.

"Welcome to Cloudsdale: greatest city in the sky!"

"Whoa..." Lightning looked amazed as they neared the cloud capital. As the two landed on the cloud ground, Lightning looked around at the cloud city. "This is amazing..."

"Yep, sure is." Rainbow poked him with a hoof. "C'mon, lemme show ya around." She started flying just a couple of feet off the clouds as Lightning flew up along side her. "I used to live here when I was a filly, so I can tell ya all about it."

"So you don't live here now?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Nah. I moved to Ponyville when I was old enough to get out on my own."

"I take it ya haven't lived there very long."

"Nope. I still remember the day I moved to town, when I first landed the job at the Weather Patrol, and when I finished my cloud house."

Lightning chuckled. "I guess that didn't take long for you."

Rainbow gave him a smirk. "Ah, you're learnin' pretty quick." She gave him a nudge with her elbow. "So ya ready to have your mind blown?"

"You're the tour guide."

Rainbow chuckled, and he thought the voice crack in her chuckle was adorable. Rainbow gave Lightning a tour of Cloudsdale, from its weather factory, to its rainbow factory, to Flight Camp, to the suburban area just outside the city. And finally, ending the tour with their final destination.

"And this here's the Weather Patrol Station," Rainbow finished, as the two pegasi landed right outside the building.

"I gotta say, Cloudsdale's a beautiful place," Lightning said.

"Hay, yeah! It's awesome!" Rainbow started trotting up the cloud steps to the front double glass doors. "Now come on, I'm not quite finished with the tour yet."

Lighting started trotting behind her. "After you, m'lady."

Rainbow was glad that she was in front of Lightning, as he wouldn't see the blush on her cheeks. She led the stallion down the hall and through a set of double doors into a room that had a time clock, a schedule, and a clipboard on a wall. The room also had a set of lockers, a couch, and a desk with a couple of chairs.

"This is the employee lounge. It isn't much, but it serves its purpose," Rainbow explained. She then pointed to the wall with the schedule. "This is the schedule for the week. I'm assigned to Ponyville, as you'll be too."

"Sweet!" Lightning said as he pulled his right hoof down.

"Heh, easy there, tiger," Rainbow chuckled. "First we gotta getcha set up. Follow me." Rainbow led Lightning out of the room and up a flight of stairs to another room that had a desk and a filing cabinet. The rainbow maned Pegasus walked over to the desk and took a pencil out of a cup on the desk with her hoof. "I already know you're fast, so consider that part of your training." She wrote down Lightning's name on a list of employees and dropped the pencil back into the cup. "There ya go!" She turned to Lightning with a smile. "Welcome to the Weather Patrol, Lightning."

Lightning quirked a brow. "That's it?"

Rainbow laughed. "Yup. All ya need is a badge with your name on it, and that'll be fixed up by tomorrow. But I will be your advisor and commanding officer for a period of time, until I see you fit to handle things on your own."

"Awesome! Thanks, Rainbow! And I know how the training period goes, so I'm used to it."

"No prob. Happy to have ya on the team, Light."

Light. Her little nickname for him. And he liked it.

"So now ya take me out and show me some standard cloud busting techniques," Lightning mused.

"Right!" Rainbow smirked. "Seems ya haven't forgotten what ya knew about bein' a weather pony in Manehatten."

Lightning scoffed. "Are you kiddin'? I couldn't forget that if I tried."

"Well, why don't you show me how you city boys do it?" Rainbow challenged.

Lightning smirked. "Heh, sure can. But I can assure you, I ain't no city boy."

"Oh, yeah? Prove it."

"You're on." They hoof-bumped and headed back out into the hall.

Before long, they were back in the sky above Ponyville. The weather was supposed to be sunny and clear for the day, so the two pegasi had to take care of several stray clouds.

"Alright," Rainbow said, hovering as she crossed her forehoofs, "since you claim you're not a city boy, why don'tcha prove it to me?"

Lightning smirked. "Piece of cake. I'll show ya a move I made up back in Manehatten." He looked up and scanned the skies for three clouds close together. Spotting some just off to the south, he smirked. "Perfect." As he blasted off toward them, Rainbow held a curious gaze, wondering just what he had in mind. Lightning sped up as he approached the small cloud cluster. Blasting off suddenly, he rocketed past the three clouds, making them get caught in the slipstream and follow him. Looking behind with a satisfied grin, he sped up, putting distance between him and the clouds. "And now for the grand finale." He suddenly done a loop in the air, creating a black and yellow circle, then flew right through it, the clouds following right through the loop. He bucked every one as they flew through it, and the circle created by him slowly began to fade away. He hovered down closer to the cyan Pegasus, a proud grin on his face. "I call that one The Needle and Thread." Looking at the Pegasus, she just fluttered there, her mouth agape, her eyes a little wider.

"That was really impressive!" Rainbow said with a smile. "I might have misjudged you."

"Might have?"

Rainbow smirked. "Eh... lemme think about it." She flew up and pointed to a couple of clouds. "We don't have much work to do today, so this should be a breeze. Ya ready to get cloud kickin'?"

Lightning flew up to join her. "Let's do this."

In a flash the two pegasi were blasting through the skies eliminating the clouds that needed to be taken care of, all the while showing off a few specially made maneuvers in the process. In less than 30 seconds, all the clouds over Ponyville had been taken care of.

"Awesome work, partner," Rainbow said, giving him a hoof-bump.

"Thanks. Toldja I hadn't forgot what I learned."

"Alright, heh," Rainbow chuckled. "I'm happy to have you on the team. You're gonna be a great member." She suddenly noticed a faint tint to his cheeks, which made him look - dare she admit it - adorable.

"Thanks, Rainbow. Coming from the faster flyer in Cloudsdale, that means a lot."

Now it was Rainbow's turn to get a faint blush on her cheeks. "You're welcome. And thanks."

The two hovered in awkward silence for a second, neither really making eye contact due to their slightly red cheeks. Then Lightning broke the silence.

"So now that the work's done, whaddo we do now?"

"That's it. Now we can just kick back and do whatever," Rainbow answered. At this point, Rainbow would usually take a nap on a cloud or in a tree, practice some of her aerial stunt routines, or hang out with one of her friends; reading books with Twilight, playing horseshoes with Applejack, going pranking with Pinkie Pie... At that, Rainbow had an idea... "How 'bout I take ya and getcha one of the tastiest cupcakes around? I know just the place. Follow me!" She turned and started flying through the air.

Lightning quickly caught up to her. "I appreciate that, but you don't have to."

"Heh, I want to. I'd do for any of my friends. Besides, you're the newest member of the Weather Patrol, and it'll give you a chance to meet one of my friends."

"Have you done this kinda thing for any new members of the Weather Patrol before?"

Rainbow turned to him with a sly grin. "No." She flew on ahead, leaving the colt feeling rather honored. Did she think of him as special? He sure hoped so.

It didn't take the two long to get to Sugarcube Corner. Landing right outside the door, Rainbow turned to see Lightning land next to her. She couldn't help but feel excited for Lightning to try something from the shop. Roughly 99% of the residents of the town loved the deserts the little shop baked, and the 1% that didn't obviously hadn't tried them yet. Stepping through the door into the shop, Lightning looked around at the quaint, simple shop. Rainbow walked up to the counter, him following, and a pink mare with poofy hot pink hair popped up behind the counter.

"Hiya, Dashie!"

"Hi, pinkie," Rainbow greeted.

"What can I getcha?" Pinkie asked happily. Then she noticed the stallion standing next to her rainbow-maned friend. "Ooh, who's this? I've never seen you around here before."

Rainbow gestured a hoof at Lightning. "This is Lightning Strike. He just moved here, and he's the newest member of the Weather Patrol. Lightning, this is my friend Pinkie Pie."

Pinkie's blue eyes widened in excitement. "Ooohh! Welcome to Ponyville!" The pink mare started bouncing around the room excitedly. "Oh, this is so great! A new pony in Ponyville! Ooh! And you know what that means: a party! A 'Welcome to Ponyville' party!" She sat on her haunches as she raised a hoof to her chin. "Lessee... I'm gonna need balloons and streamers and a cake..." She bounced up suddenly as she looked at her watch. "Come back at three o'clock this evening and I'll throw you a super duper, totally awesome welcome party!"

"Uh, thanks. I really appreciate that," Lightning said with a smile.

"Hey, it's what I do!" Pinkie explained cheerfully. "Ooh! I better get started on the cake and the decorations..." She bounced back over to the counter. "So what can I getcha?"

"I'll have a banana nut cupcake, and..." Rainbow looked up at Lighting.

"Do you have blueberry?" Lighting asked.

Pinkie snickered. "Yeperdoodle! You name a cupcake, we got it! We've got every kinda cupcake you can think of! We have chocolate, banana, banana nut, strawberry, razzleberry, cherry, grape, lemon, snickerdoodle, razmataz, vanilla, orange-"

"I think he just wants a blueberry cupcake, Pinks," Rainbow cut in with a light grin. "Right, Light?"

The stallion nodded. "Yeah. I'm cravin' a blueberry cupcake right now."

"Okie-dokie-lokey! One banana nut and one blueberry cupcake comin' right up! Be back in a flash!" In a blur of pink, the energetic earth pony zipped into the kitchen.

"Wow, she's sure a bundle of energy," Lighting remarked with a chuckle.

Rainbow chuckled. "Yeah, that's Pinkie Pie. She's always like that. But she's a really great friend. And if ya ever feel sad, you can bet your wings that she'll be there to cheer ya up."

The said pony bounced back out into the shop, holding a tray with two cupcake in her hoofs. "Here ya go, guys! Two freshly baked, super delicious cupcakes!"

"Thanks, Pinkie!"

"Yeah, thanks!" He picked up the treat with a quirked brow. "How'dja make these so fast?"

Rainbow grinned casually. "It's Pinkie, dude, don't question it."

Rainbow and Lightning paid for their treats and turned to leave.

"Don't forget the party, Lighty! It's gonna be super duper epic!" Pinkie hollered after the two pegasi.

"I won't. Thanks, Pinkie!" Lightning called back with a wave.

"Heh heh! So whaddaya think of Pinkie?" Rainbow asked as they started walking down the street.

"I like her. She's really cool. And really funny, heh."

"Heh! Yep! That's Pinkie, alright." She looked up at the taller Pegasus. "Soo? Whaddaya think about the cupcake?"

Lightning took a bite, and for a moment, he just stood there. It was as if his taste buds had entered a whole new world. "Whoa! This is amazing!"

"Heh, toldja you'd like it. The Cakes and Pinkie make the best sweets in town."

"This is the best anywhere!" Lighting raved, taking another bite.

"Well..." Rainbow took a bite off her cupcake, chewed and swallowed it. "...Since Pinkie's throwin' ya a welcome party, how 'bout I take ya to meet the rest of my friends?"

"Sounds good."

Suddenly, Rainbow caught sight of a poster on a store window out the corner of her eye, and she gasped as her eyes widened. "Ohmygosh!"

Lightning turned to see her looking at a poster of the Wonderbolts.

**The Wonderbolts: Spring Extravaganza Air Show, This Saturday at 2:00 p.m.. Tickets on sale now!**

"Oh, this is gonna be so awesome!" Rainbow said excitedly, her little wings fluttering in excitement. "This is their first show this year! I can't miss it!"

Lightning looked at the poster. "I remember hearing about the Wonderbolts but I've never seen them perform in real life."

Rainbow looked at him shocked. "You've _never_ seen the Wonderbolts perform? Ever?"

"Sorry. I'd like to say I have but I haven't."

"They're only the most awesome, extreme, totally radical group in Equestria!" Rainbow declared. "Ya gotta go to their show, dude." She suddenly grabbed his hoof. "C'mon! Let's go get tickets!" And in a flash Lighting was pulled to the nearest shop that sold the tickets. Arriving, they saw a few other ponies in line, apparently to get the same thing. Rainbow's pupils shrank. "Aw, come on! They're gonna sell out before we get there!" she panicked.

"Chill out, Rainbow. Hopefully there's still have enough tickets to go around," Lightning tried to help.

"Yeah, I hope you're right..." Rainbow started tapping her right back hoof nervously, her patience already wearing thin.

After a few minutes, Rainbow and Lightning made it to the counter, just as the mare working there put a SOLD OUT sign on the counter. Rainbow's heart sank, as she sank to her haunches, her pupils shrunk.

Lightning hated to see the rainbow mare like this. He'd only known her for less that 48 hours, but he already knew that he hated seeing her upset, and enjoyed seeing her smile. "Pardon me, but don't you have any tickets left?" he asked the mare at the counter.

"Sorry," she shook her head, "we're sold out. But the show's still a few days away, so I'd keep checking back."

"See," he turned to the Pegasus, "there's a chance they'll get some more back in."

Rainbow slowly got up and began to trudge out of the shop. "...Thanks anyway, Lightning..."

Lightning ran up alongside her. "Hey, cheer up," he soothed.

"It's just... This is their first show this year, and I've been to every show since I was just a filly. This'll be the first time I didn't get to go." Her head hung low, her ears flat.

"Hey." He stepped in front of her, and placed a hoof underneath her chin to left her head so she'd meet his gaze. "It's not like this'll be their only time performing. There'll be other shows. Besides, I'm sure they won't mind if a fan misses one show. I'm sure they'll understand."

"Well..." A tiny smile crept to the Pegasus' face. "I guess you're right. But..." Her head sunk a little. "I still wish I could've gotten a ticket to their show..."

"Hey, cheer up." He placed a hoof under her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. "I know ya really wanted to go to the show, but don't let it get ya down. There's still a chance you'll get to go. Besides, even if ya don't, try not to let it getcha down. The last thing I wanna see is you frown."

Rainbow didn't realize until then just how close their faces were. She could feel his breath caress her face and taste his breath, and it sent shivers through her body. The ends of her wings bristled from the shivers, and her wings threatened to raise. At that moment, the Wonderbolts were the farthest thing from her mind. She couldn't help it, but she found herself lost, staring into those eyes of his, letting his breath caress her face. She didn't even realize she was slowly leaning toward him, or that he was doing the same, until both paused, and backed away a bit. Rainbow tried to brush it off casually, but her cheeks felt hot and her mind was running wild with thoughts of what would have happened had they continued for about three more inches.

"A-Anyway... Try to stay cheerful."

"...I know..." Right now, Rainbow wasn't thinking about the Wonderbolts. She was thinking about the kiss she almost had. What if she'd tripped? What if he'd tripped?  
>Then they would have... <em>Darn it, wings,<em> Rainbow thought to herself, trying to keep her wings down and flaccid.

"Hey, didn't you say you wanted to introduce me to the rest of your friends?" he reminded her, hoping to get her mind off the subject.

"Yeah, I do." She lifted her head, already seeming more perky now. "C'mon. I'll take ya to meet the rest of 'em."

"Right behind ya, Miss Dash." He was already formulating a plan in his mind. She still hadn't learned enough about him to know he had some surprises up his sleeve.

_Miss Dash?_ Rainbow didn't mind him calling her formally, though she did prefer him to use her regular name. But she couldn't deny the smooth and airy way he said her last name. A very... suave and... okay, cool way. She took a brief moment to collect her thoughts and steady her elevating heart rate before trotting onward to the next location.

To be continued...


End file.
